"The Detroit Police is admitting that they are grossly understaffed and can no longer keep the city safe. In fact, they are actaully warning people that they believe the city has become too dangerous to enter. The Detroit Police Department would like the public know that the explosion in violent crime has turned the city into a war zone that they can no longer police. Their “Enter At Your Own Risk” rally was meant to inform the public that the officers have become fearful for their own lives, which they blame on an epidemic level of violence caused by budget cuts and a grossly understaffed police force.

Detroit has become one of the most dangerous cities in the world with one of the highest homicide rates in the country. (Flint is actually #1 by a small margin.)

I live right on Detroit's northern border and I work in Midtown, which is actually a pretty decent place to be. Unfortunately, it's only a few acres out of the almost 1,300 square miles that is the city of Detroit. There are nice places in the city, believe it or not, but the sheer size of the city is hard to comprehend - the total area of abandoned property alone in Detroit is about the same as that of the entire city of San Francisco. This, I believe, is Detroit's fundamental problem. It's simply too big. There are maybe 10 or 20 square miles of decent areas in the city, the rest is more or less a patchwork of dilapidated houses and abandoned factories. There's no way the city can provide adequate services to that big of an area, but none of the surrounding suburbs want to take over any part of the city, either. There are other problems of course, like perennially corrupt and ineffectual city politics, and an unwillingness to pitch in on the part of the surrounding suburbs, some of which are among the wealthiest communities in the world.

It's a mess, for sure. I definitely feel for the Detroit police department - they have more on their plates than any police force should have to deal with.

... Relationships never favor those who care the most and morality prevents me from caring the least. So I'm pretty much fucked.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AntiHero

... Our lives can be spent carrying out actions that we hope will lead us to a greater sense of purpose, acoomplishment and meaning, but all these are secondary to the need to feel alive. And when we pursue the activities that make us truly feel alive, we discover the places and people and things we always had wished existed--people and places and things that have always been there--waiting patiently for our arrival.

Just wanted to let you know that both of these really struck a cord with me. Do you have a book by Joseph Campbell that you'd suggest? First time I've heard of him and it sounds like something I'd enjoy reading.

Your RR is amazing. Great balance of stories, food, people, and philosophy/deep thinking. And a really sexy bike to top it off.

Been here in NY now for a week. And it’s been a long week, too, sometime time dilates because of boredom and anticipation (think of how slowly minutes pass while waiting to get out of a plane) but sometimes time slows because life is good, really good. The hero of the New York chapter has been, is--and always will be--a man I call Dr. J. The guy is a complete oxymoron, a combination of seemingly disparate, contradictory and exclusionary qualities all wrapped into one. He’s got musculature that puts him in a category of the Incredible Hulk, an intellect that puts him well into Professor X/genius territory, has enough dare-devil and risk-taking stories to last a lifetime (including racing in Grand Am), but also, oh, happens to be a surgeon….you name it and he’s done it. And if you’ve lusted after it he’s probably owned it, too (including a boss GT3 RS). But god damn if he also isn’t the humblest, nicest, most sincere, and unaffected guy you've ever met (contrasts nicely with a NY accent that could easily land him in a role of baritone mob boss in a Coppola Mafia Trilogy). In short, he’s the kind of guy who could destroy competitors as easily on a track (or in a fight) as easily as he could dispatch contenders on Jeopardy. If there was a zombie apocalypse or a hostile alien invasion or WWIII, he’s the guy I’d call first.

Here's the man, with an infectious smile and the kind of laugh that makes others wish they were half as happy (notice Steve Tyler sulking in the background):

We first started talking around Indianapolis after my post about how people adopt a particular persona and outward appearance based on the activities they participate in and offered up his boat to me whenever I got to NY. Being the modest guy he is, the “boat” turned out to be a 3 bedroom/2 bath yacht (WiFi, washer/dryer, kitchen, and a fully stocked bar). It’s a floating luxury apartment, not a ‘boat’!

As if giving me the key to his yacht for an indefinite time wasn't quite enough, Dr. J also decided to take me out to dinner, where I got to meet his wife (our Panamera Turbo chauffeur/DD for the night) and son.

Sometimes you think life can't get any worse and it does. But sometimes you think life can't get any better....and then, bam!, it does.

(Enough oysters and clams to feed an angry swarm of Otters:)

His wife is a charming Naval officer (who, btw, can do more push-ups than most mortals) and his son is a star lacrosse player/quarterback and devoted to academics, too. If all sons came out like this dude I'd be looking for a wife to settle down with.

"The Detroit Police is admitting that they are grossly understaffed and can no longer keep the city safe. In fact, they are actaully warning people that they believe the city has become too dangerous to enter. The Detroit Police Department would like the public know that the explosion in violent crime has turned the city into a war zone that they can no longer police. Their “Enter At Your Own Risk” rally was meant to inform the public that the officers have become fearful for their own lives, which they blame on an epidemic level of violence caused by budget cuts and a grossly understaffed police force.

Detroit has become one of the most dangerous cities in the world with one of the highest homicide rates in the country. (Flint is actually #1 by a small margin.)

I assure you that Detroit PD is not the only PD in the nation working 12 hour shifts (or any hour shifts!) that is understaffed. I'm from Detroit and yes, it's hell. The MASS corruption in that city turned it into what it is more than anything else. Chicago is quickly following.

Before the spoils of hard work comes hard work. As my own symbolic way of proving that point, I’m going to write the next installment (tonight, by hook or crook!) in advance of posting the next series of pictures. Here’s a hint of what’s to come, though: